Love's Long Journey
by benbrattlover
Summary: [Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge] What if Raj had never gone to India after Simran? What if she had married the awful Kuljit, who beat her & many years later, she saw Raj again. Would he save her from Kuljit? Would their love be rekindled? What would happen?


Author's Notes: I just want to let my readers know that this isn't the way I wrote my story, but every time I upload it, the site changes my indentation, tabs, paragraphs, line spacing, fonts, etc. I know it looks really sloppy but this is not the way I wrote it, yet I can't figure out how to get the site to return my stories to their original format, so please bear with me, and excuse me.

Please read and review. Be kind, yet please give me honest feedback. But, please keep in mind that although this is far from my first fanfic, this is one of the first Bollywood fanfiction stories that I have written, though I have wanted to post Bollywood fanfics for a long time! So, if you have a negative comment, it is okay to post it, but also include some practical suggestions on how I could make the story better. I love to write stories and poems and I want to be a good writer so I don't mind any negative comments as long as they are not flames. Positive and/or helpful advice and pointers are appreciated and welcomed. Negative, AND unconstructive feedback is not, and will be deleted. Otherwise, feel free to write what you think, with the exception of flames. Thank you!

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I don't own any of the characters, except for the ones that I create. The "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge" characters belong to Yash Chopra, Aditya Chopra, Yash Raj Films and all the other creators, writers, producers and directors of this GREAT movie. But I've written this story, I own this story, and all the others that I write, or have written. Please do not use, copy, post elsewhere, or reproduce it in any way, shape, or form without my permission. Thanks!

Summary: An AU fanfic. What if Raj hadn't gone after Simran, and followed her back to India? Suppose that either the late-night poolside talk between Raj and his father never happened. Or even if it did, once Raj went to Simran's house and found out from the neighbors that she and her family had already left for Punjab, he just gave up hope of a life with her, and stayed in England. What if Simran ended up marrying that awful Kuljit, and then, several years later, she happened to meet Raj, who was on a business trip in India? What would happen then? Would Simran leave her unhappy and violent marriage, to reunite with her true love, and soul-mate, Raj? Or after all the years that have passed with no contact from Raj, would she have already resigned herself to a miserable, wretched life with Kuljit? What would happen??

Rating: PG - PG-13 for now. There are scenes of domestic violence and abuse (possibly very intense), references to infidelity/adultery, and it may (or may not!) have profanity and possible sexual dialogue and scenes. Depending on the reader's beliefs and values, it may or may not be suitable for preteens, and more specifically, even younger readers. Parental Discretion is advised:)

So, for the time being, this fanfic is PG – PG-13, but it may or may not increase to R rating, depending on author's whims:)

Contact: Any extra comments (beyond the review) questions, or concerns, Email me at: benbrattlover at yahoo dot com

Enjoy and after you're done, please hit the pretty, and sexy, little purple button at the bottom of the page, and leave me a review. Thank you!

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CHIRP! CHIRP!! CHIRP!!

The sun shined brightly, and a stray cool breeze drifted through the open window, as the doves outside sang merrily. Twenty-six year old Simran Singh, awoke on this morning, as she usually did - all alone. Her husband, Kuljit, had not come home last night, just like so many times before. She did not even know where her husband was, or who he was with. Lately, he'd been gone more and more nights. But wherever Kuljit had spent the night, and whoever he had spent it with, she had learned, the hard way, that it was better for her not to ask. It was just safer that way……………………………………….

_-- Flashback:_

_It was only just a couple days after they had gotten back from their honeymoon. Kuljit had come home from work at his father's business, and after scarfing down the lavish dinner that Simran had lovingly and painstakingly prepared for him, he had just gotten up from the table, and gone out again, leaving without so much as a word to her. Full of hurt and disappointment, Simran silently cleared the table of his dishes, and after putting them to soak in the kitchen sink, she served herself, and sat down to eat her dinner all alone in their empty home._

_After Simran finished eating, she cleared the table, and then cleaned up the kitchen, before settling down comfortably on the sofa to read, while she waited for her husband to come home. As she read, chapter after chapter, more and more time passed. The sun finally set, and left the night sky, a dark pitch black, and as the hours ticked by, Simran grew increasingly worried and concerned, wondering where Kuljit was, and what he was doing._

_As it got further into the night, Simran could feel her eyelids becoming heavier and heavier, willing her to go to sleep. But she fought against it with all her strength, putting down her book, rubbing her eyes tiredly, and then sitting up straighter, picking her book up again, and resuming her reading. More and more time went by, Simran grew drowsier, and still there was no word from her husband._

_Finally, at around 5:30 in the morning, just as the sun was starting to rise, Kuljit stumbled in, half-drunk, smelling of another woman's perfume, the stench of sweat, and heavy sex emanating from every pore._

_"Kuljit!" exclaimed Simran, going up to him, "Where have you been? I've been so worried about you! Where were you all night??"_

_SLAP!!!!!!!!!_

_The strength and force of the blow across her face, immediately knocked Simran down to the ground. Stunned and reeling from the shock, she lay on the floor, curled up in a ball, as the vicious assault continued. Simran kept her face buried in her body, and put her hands over her head and neck to protect herself, as Kuljit's blows kept raining down on her._

_"Let's get something straight right now, woman!" he snarled angrily, kicking Simran violently, all over her body, as she softly whimpered, tears streaming down her face. "Don't you DARE question me, or ask me about anything in my life EVER! Do you hear me? It's NONE of your damn business where I was, or what I was doing! I can do whatever the hell I want, and there's nothing you can do about it! You're my wife and you belong to me! You're mine until the moment you die! No one else wants you anyway! You're mine now, and you have NO right to question me in ANY way! Am I making myself clear??"_

_"Please, Kuljit!" begged Simran miserably. "Please stop! You're really hurting me! Kuljit, please!"_

_But Simran's cries of pain, and pleading for mercy, only intensified Kuljit's rage, as he continued to attack his wife. He kept kicking and stomping on her HARD over and over, again and again. "I SAID, AM I MAKING MYSELF CLEAR??" he yelled, kicking Simran viciously in the back. "ANSWER ME!!"_

_"Yes!" Simran choked out her response, hoping it would mollify him and end the brutal beating. "I'm sorry, Kuljit! Please just stop now! I am so sorry!"_

_His anger finally abated, Kuljit stopped the attack on his wife, and stood there for a moment, cruelly looking at his wife lying on the floor, nearly curled in a ball, moaning in pain. _

"_I'm going to nap for a couple hours, and then shower before work. Get this mess cleaned up!" Kuljit callously ordered Simran. "Scrub the floor, before the blood dries and sets. I don't want any bloodstains on my floor. Then after you're done cleaning up, get started making breakfast. I expect it to be ready by the time I'm out of the shower. Do you understand??"_

_Simran cowered on the floor crying, as Kuljit kicked her viciously in the back. "ANSWER ME!" he roared. "I SAID, DO YOU UNDERSTAND??"_

_"Yes!" promised Simran through her sobs. "I'm sorry! I'll do whatever you want! I'll do anything! Please just stop this, Kuljit! Please!"_

_"Good. Now you're learning who's the boss – the ONLY boss in this house!" sneered Kuljit. "You're my wife – you belong to me until the day you die and I'm the boss, and will always be the boss! Don't you forget it!"_

_With that, Kuljit walked away, leaving his battered wife lying on the floor in tears, hiccupping and gasping for breath as she wondered how different her life might have been, if she had just followed her heart, and refused to marry Kuljit._

_Wincing, Simran managed to awkwardly pull herself up off the floor and into an upright, standing position. Then, clutching her stomach, and chest, Simran gingerly walked to the kitchen, found a rag, and cleaned up the blood on the floor before heading to the bathroom, where she was shocked at the sight of herself in the mirror. Her nose was bleeding, and the blood had dripped all over, getting smeared on her upper lip and cheeks. She also had a black eye, a split lip, and a large reddish-purple bruise was forming across her face. Turning on the bathroom faucet, Simran cringed, as she washed her face, and cleaned all the blood off._

_Afterwards, in spite of the excruciating pain with every single step, Simran headed to the kitchen to begin making breakfast for her husband, Kuljit. It wasn't until much later, after Kuljit had left for work, that Simran, unable to bear the agony any longer, managed to get herself to the doctor, where she found out that, in addition to her numerous bumps and bruises, black eye, bloody nose, and split lip, she also had six broken ribs._

_When Kuljit learned what he had done, he at once became extremely contrite, and remorseful, showering her with lavish gifts of gold and diamond jewelry, and expensive sarees, apologizing over and over, promising fervently that this would never happen again. _

_"I swear to you, Simran, on the memory of my beloved dadima that this is the last time I'll ever beat you!" pledged Kuljit earnestly. "I give you my word on the holy Bhagavad-Gita. This will never happen again!"_

_-- End of Flashback --_

"_But it did happen again," _ thought Simran dismally, as she shook off the painful memory. Kuljit had broken his word and betrayed her in so many ways. Not just once or twice, but over and over again. There had been many, many beatings over their six-year marriage. Sometimes it seemed like not a single day went by when Kuljit did not attack her for some reason or the other – whether it was that the rice was not fluffy enough when he sat down to dinner, or that he had wanted to eat _roti_ instead, or that there was a stray wrinkle on their otherwise perfectly made bed, or even just that he had, had a bad day, and wanted someone to take it out on. It was always something with Kuljit – something she had forgotten, or had not done perfectly to his satisfaction. No matter how hard she tried to please him, there was always something – most of the time, just minor trivialities that seemed to incur her husband's wrath, and a vicious beating.

Afterwards, once Simran's injuries made it impossible for Kuljit to ignore the obvious effects of his violence, that's when the repentant apologies, extravagant gifts, and promises of change started. Simran never used any of the presents that Kuljit bought her after one of his beatings.

"_It's like blood money – literally!_" thought Simran about those gifts. She considered all those sarees, jewelry, and perfumes tainted – but not knowing what else to do with such expensive items, she just put it in storage. She locked everything up in her metal Godrej cupboard, and never even looked at any of it, once she had put them away. Simran was hoping to eventually pass them on to someone else – someone who didn't have the baggage and history tied to them. Or maybe someday, if she found a way to escape from Kuljit, she could sell it all, and use the funds, blood money though it was, to make a fresh start somewhere else.

Yet, Simran had a feeling, that she wouldn't be going anywhere, anytime soon. Raj was gone, lost to her forever. She was Kuljit's wife now, and like he told her all the time, she belonged to him, and was his until the day she died.

As she lay in bed, in the silence of their empty home, Simran thought back to the one time that she had tried to leave Kuljit.

_-- Flashback:_

_It was about a year after their wedding, when Simran found out that she was pregnant. Though she had become resigned to being trapped and stuck in this violent sham marriage for herself, Simran had long ago decided that there was no way she would bring an innocent child into such a miserable and unhappy home. She had to run away. She had no other choice. _

_So, Simran made a frantic, and desperate attempt to escape, two days after she learned she was pregnant. She took the little money that Kuljit had given her for household expenses, and waited for him to leave for work. As soon as he was gone, she quickly packed her most prized possessions, and a few of her clothes, and personal belongings into a large shoulder bag, before heading to her cupboard, and filling a suitcase with all of Kuljit's meaningless, expensive gifts. Then Simran snuck into Kuljit's study, and taking a set of keys from his desk drawer, she opened the metal safe, where all their important documents, and valuables were kept. Simran removed her passport, and birth certificate and put them safely in her shoulder bag. Then she took the entire stash of emergency money, as well as all of her jewelry, and valuables and packed them in her suitcase. Aside from Kuljit's personal documents, Simran virtually cleaned the safe out, before zipping her suitcase closed._

_Once she was ready to go, Simran took one last long look around the house, to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything she wanted to take with her. Then she slung her bag over her shoulder, picked up her suitcase, and left the house without a single backward glance. She immediately headed for the train station, where she bought a one-way ticket on the next train to Mumbai. _

_While she was waiting for the train to arrive, Simran ate a snack at one of the concession stands, and bought a couple of magazines to read on the journey. Once it got closer to the train's arrival time, she headed out to the platform. As soon as the train pulled up and came to a complete stop at the platform, Simran was one of the first people to board. Looking at her ticket, she quickly found her compartment, and upon entering, found it empty, and used the opportunity to seize a claim on one of the 2 prized upper bunks. Putting her suitcase down as a place-holder, Simran sank tiredly into her seat, mentally exhausted from the stress and anxiety of the previous few days, as well the trepidation from her sudden, risky escape. Nevertheless, she was still relieved to get away, that she and her baby would now finally be safe, and away from all the beatings and violence. _

_Unfortunately, what Simran had not known or planned for was that soon after leaving for work, Kuljit realized that he had forgotten some important business papers in his study, and had decided to go back home and get them. Upon his return home, finding the house empty, and most of Simran's belongings gone, Kuljit concluded that the only place she could have gone in such a short time, was the train station, and immediately raced there to stop his wife from leaving._

_Simran had leaned her head back against her seat, closed her eyes, and was just resting for a bit, enjoying the silence of her empty sleeper compartment, when suddenly the peace and quiet was shattered, as the door loudly swung open, and her husband stood there, towering over her like a giant monster, his face red and mottled purple with rage._

_Kuljit strode up to his wife, and grabbing her by the hair tight with one hand, he slapped her HARD across the face with the other. "Just what the HELL do you think you're doing??"_

_"N – n – nothing!" stammered Simran fearfully. _

_"DON'T LIE TO ME!" Kuljit yelled angrily, punching Simran HARD in the face, while still keeping a tight hold on her by her hair. "Answer me! What the HELL are you trying to do?"_

_Simran took a deep breath and summoning up all her courage, she straightened up, looking her husband directly in the eye before speaking. "I'm leaving you, Kuljit!" she answered. "I just can't live like this anymore. I want a divorce!"_

_"HELL NO!" refused Kuljit flatly. "You're my wife and you're always going to be my wife. There is no escape, I'm never going to let you go. You belong to me until the day you die! Now we're going home, and don't even think of making any fuss or commotion, or trying anything foolish. Because I have men standing guard in each car, and on the platform just in case you try to do anything stupid. You're coming back home with me, this instant. Now move!"_

_It was only then that Kuljit finally released his grip on her hair, and as soon as he let go, he delivered a sharp kick to his wife's backside, prodding her along, as Simran whimpered in pain. "C'mon, I don't have all day!" he snapped impatiently. "Get your bags and MOVE NOW!"_

_The entire ride back, Kuljit yelled and screamed at his wife, as he slapped and punched her in the face every now and then. When they reached home, the violence escalated as Kuljit continued slapping, punching, kicking and stomping on Simran. He beat her so badly that, after he left, when she went to the bathroom to wash up, she found her underwear full of blood. _

_Alarmed, Simran immediately raced to the doctor's, who after a short examination, sadly confirmed that she indeed had suffered a miscarriage. Kuljit had beaten her so severely that she had lost her baby. After that, Simran vowed to herself that she would never bring a child into such a violent and unhappy home, and she secretly obtained birth control. _

_But Simran's failure to conceive a child, and more specifically, a son, over their six-year marriage only intensified Kuljit's rage, and he seemed to be beating her more often, and more harshly than he ever had before. _

_After one particularly severe beating, which had landed her in the hospital with a concussion, broken ribs, fractured leg and arms, her sister, Chutki, and her parents had come to visit. Kuljit had sweet-talked them, like always, telling them that she had just been in a major car accident. He just played up the "worried husband" role, acting as if he truly loved, and cared about his wife, when in reality, only moments before their arrival, he had threatened Simran with death if she ever told her family about the abuse. _

_Her parents, in denial, and desperate to hold on to their belief that Kuljit, the son of their best friend, was a good man, and that they had done well in selecting him as Simran's husband, remained oblivious to Kuljit's lies. Chutki, however, was a lot more astute. She was wise beyond her years, and was a good judge of people. So from the moment her sister walked into her hospital room, Simran immediately knew that Chutki was aware of what had really been going on in their home._

_With tears filling her eyes at the sight of her battered older sister, Chutki rushed over and gently hugged and kissed Simran, before sitting down in a chair beside her bed. _

"_Kuljit did this to you, didn't he??" asked Chutki rhetorically. Simran paused for a moment, looking around anxiously, before nodding. _

"_Yes, he did." Simran murmured quietly. "Please don't tell him I told you. He said he'd kill me if I ever told anyone."_

_Chutki shook her head grimly. "You have to get away from him, Simran!" she declared, her voice going up a notch, before stopping short, as her sister gave her a meaningful look. "Your miscarriage……you didn't just trip and fall down the stairs, did you??"_

_Simran looked around anxiously before shaking her head. "No."_

_Chutki sighed heavily, as she moved closer to her sister. "Simran, what really happened?" she probed her sister gently. "Please tell me."_

_"I tried to leave," admitted Simran softly. "Whatever happens to me, there is no way I could bring an innocent baby into a such an violent, abusive, and unhappy home. So when I found out I was pregnant, I knew I just had to escape – if not for me, then for my child."_

_"But………?" Chutki prompted her sister cautiously._

_Simran took a deep breath before finishing answering her sister. "But……… Kuljit found out, before I could get away."_

_"How?"_

_"I waited until he left for work before I packed my bags, went to the train station, and bought a one-way ticket to Mumbai," Simran explained. "But unfortunately, Kuljit forgot some work papers in his study, and came back after I'd left. When he found the house empty, he came right to the train station, and found me. If it had only been 15 minutes later, it would have been too late. The train would already have left, and I'd have been able to get away. But Kuljit found me on the train, and he beat me there, and then he dragged me home, and beat me so badly that I miscarried."_

_Chutki's eyes filled with tears. "Oh, Simran!" she whispered, full of sympathy. "I am so sorry!"_

_Simran nodded. "Yeah, me too."_

_"So what are you going to do now?" asked Chutki gently. "You can't live like this! It's only going to keep getting worse. Kuljit already beat you so badly that you had a miscarriage. Who knows what he'll do next? You need to get away before he kills you!"_

_"You're right." Simran agreed. "I just don't know how……………………."_

_-- End of Flashback --_

Simran sighed as she slid out from the covers, and got out of bed. She padded to the bathroom, barefoot, and after washing up, she headed to the kitchen to make herself some breakfast. Once she finished eating, she cleaned up the kitchen, then tidied up the other rooms, put the rice and _daal _to soak for dinner, and then gathered up all the dirty clothes for the _dhobi _before getting dressed and heading out to the market to do the day's shopping.

Simran was busy examining the freshness of an eggplant, when out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw something familiar. When she turned around to look, she gasped in surprise. Down the street, sitting at a table in a small chai-shop, drinking coffee, and looking straight at her was…………………………..Raj Malhotra.

To Be Continued…………………………………………………..


End file.
